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Friday, June 22, 2012

FTM2012 - Media Utility

FTM2012 has two utilities that should be run from time to time. The Tools, Compact file and the Find Media utility.

The Compact file does two things. 1) Offers the option to Back Up your file, and 2) does some file maintenance. I do this at the End of the Day, followed by the SynNow command to make sure my Ancestry Member Tree (AMT) and FTM2012 files are in sync.

The Find Media utility will check the Media Workspace for any missing media files that may not be in the location on your computer, where FTM2012 "thinks" the are located.

For example: If you use the "linked" option and moved the file or folder where that media file WAS located, it will appear as "missing" in FTM2012.

I ALWAYS use the Copy command. Reason, mostly to avoid the above, but more important is that FTM2012 will be using a Copy of my original media file (just in case). The other reason is the Back Up command will include the Media Folder what all of the Media files are stored and are in the Media Workspace. So this utility will check for any missing Media.

In the Media Workspace, click on the Media menu, on the menu bar. The dropdown menu will have Find Missing Media.

This will bring up a new window. It does a quick search, and you want to find that, so you Select All.

When you select all, the Search button will become active, along with the OK button.

There are two options in the Upper Right, Copy and Link. The default is Copy, which is what I use, but you have the option. Clicking OK will cause FTM to search for the missing Media file.

You will be returned to the Media Workspace. I run it again, just in case, and here is what the screen looks like if there are no Missing Media files.

It is suggested thae this become part of your normal File Maintenance plan.
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Where to get Help

A Blog is not a very helpful place to troubleshoot a problem with Family Tree Maker. There is plenty of help, in the Help Menu of the program that is specific to where you are in the program; In the Help Menu, there is a link to the Knowledge Base website, called Online Help Center.